Lilian's Tree

What a busy week! Our family arrived on the 20th and left on the 26th, so we have had a wonderful time. Cooking, board games, shopping, puppy walking, dinners out and lots of lovely chats, giggles and sing-a-longs. Christmas morning was an early start, 6.00am, (it could have been 5.30!) presents given, lots of giggles and surprises, big breakfast, cooked by our son-in-law then we each went to different places. We went to our younger daughters place and had Christmas with her and her husbands family. Three, (10, 8 &5) children, who LOVE Christmas, a 2year old, who is just starting to catch on and a 4month old, who couldn't have cared less, made it lively! Home and five of the six started a Monopoly game, me I relaxed and listened to the fun. Competition was fierce and cut-throat, with buying, selling and negotiations done as if it was real. The game was suspended at 10.15pm, to be finished on Boxing Day morning. Not as early a start but still early, for us. Breakfast and ...

After looking at the photos for several days, I decided that the gap had to be filled. Done! I think it now looks finished. All are now straight, too! What do you think?

The photos are hung. The granddaughters did the design and I did the work. Here is the photo. Bye, Lilian

What Christmas Traditions do you have? Ones that have been passed down from one generation to the next? As a child I can remember Mum would make both the Christmas cake and pudding. The Pudding would have sixpences and threepences in it, pre decimal currency. It would be made weeks before, in a pudding cloth and then, once cooked, hung in the bathroom, (not all bathrooms had loos in them, most loos were outside, this was a bathroom).  My Aunts would do the same. Mum even made my sister and I puddings, after we were married. I can remember, on Boxing Day, all the extended family, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins etc. would get together at Cronulla Beach. The kids would go off and swim, the Uncles would listen to the cricket and would also walk to the headland and watch the Sydney to Hobart yachts to past. The Aunts would sit and talk, some would probably knit. Lunch was leftovers and then everyone would share their cake and pudding. We kids always tried to find the piece of pudding...

21 photos ready to be hung. I will post a photo once they are up but here they are, all framed. It was hard selecting them, there were so many memories.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/genealogy http://ireland-calling.com/lifestyle/free-online-irish-history-course-from-trinity-college-dublin/ These have come up on Facebook and I thought that they might be useful.  I'm going to do the one from Futurelearn as I think it could be useful. It also doesn't hurt to refresh your skills. The one from Dublin isn't in my timeframe, so I'm nor going to be doing it. Id anyone does, please let us know what it was like. I'm now going to print holiday photos, of  Europe as our Granddaughters are  going to help me hang them. Bye for now, Lilian

Well I've been wearing it for a week and find that I now reach for the lipstick, as I get ready to go out. I'm over the strangeness of wearing lipstick and it got me thinking; When did I stop wearing lipstick, on a day-to-day basis?   I don't know, probably when I stopped working full-time, maybe before that, I can't remember. So from now I, even if it is just to get the mail, at the post office, I'll put lipstick on. Bye for now, Lilian

I 'played' on FamilySearch.org last night and if I've got it right, I've found my 5xgreatgrandfather. Did a bit of a happy dance, actually spun round and round on my chair. I will look at the records, in Salt Lake City, in February, to confirm it. FamilySearch.org is done by the Mormans and is a really useful site. I have also ordered film, to view at my local stake.  Have a look, you might just find that missing piece. Bye for now, Lilian

The second Thursday of each month is writing group, in at the Society of Australian Genealogists, (SAG) and this is usually followed by lunch at a local cafe. Today was different, as there was another seminar on, in the afternoon. Writing Group was great with 14 members presenting a short talk on a chosen topic. The group is very talented and we were treated to a wonderful selection of topics. The group went for lunch but two of us had booked the afternoon session. Crime and Punishment presented by John Cann, from NSW Archives. Taking us on a journey from 1788 to today, John gave us an overview of what types of records, we could access. While he mentioned two paid sites, most of his talk centred around TROVE and the NSW Archives. Showing us copies of actual documents, he explained what was NOT online and how a visit to the Archives would be useful. If you think you might have a person, with a 'shady' past, have a look at these two sites. www.records.nsw.go...

I am reading a blog, INWORDSANDINK, by Haley. Haley is a young woman, who feels she is lacking in confidence. She has started a challenge, for herself, by wearing red lipstick, everyday and it is not a colour she usually wears. Her last three posts have been about the challenge and how it is going, so far. I think she is amazing. It got me to thinking. I wear a lot of red, shirts, shoes, nail polish, I feel that it gives me confidence but not lipstick. Today I bought a red lipstick and put it on. It feels strange and I have startled myself but I am going to keep on wearing it. I don't know if I lack confidence or, as my husband says, I am just normally outgoing, saying Hi or smiling at people. It will be interesting to see how I go. Will keep you posted. Bye for now, Lilian.

I'm an enthusiastic reader, usually having two to three books on the go, at once. I thought that I would share the pile I have gone through. I really enjoy Mary Higgins Clarke and these three were no exception.  The Melody Lingers On, I picked up in Paris and finished it in Venice. The blurb says, '...  a huge financial scandal and a breathtaking tale of deception and betrayal.' Really good. Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories, is a collection oh 10 short stories, with a twist. Enjoyed it. All Dressed in White has us back with Laurier Moran as she recreates the disappearance of a bride-to-be. Gripping! Kathy Reichs has Dr Tempe Brennan investigating a ' ... case more complicated and horrifying than she could ever have imagined ...' I enjoy Kathy's books. Undercover is a love story, with a bit of a twist. Set in Colombia, Argentina, France and the USA, it is a fast flowing story, that gets you hooked. Lastly, what is on my beds...

Some information, so you can research your family over the Christmas break. Civil Registration start dates for the states and territories are; 1838 - Tasmania 1841 - Western Australia 1842 - South Australia 1853 - Victoria 1856 - NSW and Queensland 1870 - Northern Territory 1930 - ACT. For earlier Births, Death and Marriage records, you will need the church records. These are; 1787 - NSW 1803 - Tasmania 1829 - Queensland 1836 - Victoria 1842 - South Australia. Victoria now has their Indexes FREE to search, as of November 2015. Happy Researching, Lilian

Paul and I went to the Friends of the State Library Christmas Concert and High Tea. It was lovely. Stopped at Martin Place and took a snap of the Christmas tree. Looked at the windows at David Jones and couldn't figure out the story. It was all this colouring in stuff, with one window as Santa's workshop, the rest were weird.